The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most well-respected and successful franchises in the history of the four major sports in America, but that respect has seemingly dwindled over the last couple of seasons. In 2023 alone, there were countless leaks about the way Kenny Pickett reacted to being the backup, and now the leaks continue with reports of Diontae Johnson possibly performing another “hold-in,” leading the public eye to again question the internal workings of the franchise.
Steelers Organization Cannot Keep Anything Close To The Vest Anymore
Johnson had a “hold-in” two seasons ago while he attended training camp in 2022 while negotiating a new deal with the organization. Nothing has been confirmed about Johnson doing this again, but TribLive’s Mark Madden said that he has heard there will be another hold-in from someone within the Steelers organization. Madden took some time during his discussion about Johnson holding in to shame the Steelers for not being able to keep internal issues, well, internal.
“I guarantee we did not hear it from the same people, I guarantee you heard it from somebody different,” said Madden conversing with Tim Benz. “One thing people need to understand about the Steelers is that the organization has no secrets. Nothing that goes on there that somebody doesn’t call me about. Especially if someone has an ax to grind, and I can help them grind it.”
Johnson deciding to hold in for a new deal again would have come out eventually. It would have been obvious when he showed up to Latrobe, PA in the Summer, but refused to practice. The issue isn’t what the information is that is getting out, but it’s how often and consistently internal information makes its way to the public.
One of the biggest leaks that has come out of the Steelers organization was towards the end of the 2023 season when Pickett got healthy again. Head Coach Mike Tomlin decided the team was going to stick with the hot hand in Mason Rudolph, and reports came out that Pickett had refused to be the backup. Even if that did happen, it’s not something that should make it out of the team facility, especially at a time when the team is trying to stack wins to make it into the playoffs.
Another recent leak came out recently about internal division amongst the organization about what to do at the quarterback position. When the initial report came out, it was hard to decipher whether or not the division was with the front office and coaching staff, or with players in the locker room. However, another leak surfaced stating that the main reason for the division over the topic was the wide receiver room. Diontae Johnson and George Pickens had the best games of the season with Rudolph throwing the ball, and Johnson has already stated he hopes Rudolph gets re-signed and wins the starting job over Pickett.
There’s only so much the front office can control, but this recent pattern for the franchise is seemingly trending in the wrong direction. Time will tell in the upcoming weeks of the 2024 offseason if the team can get things under control.
What has been your favorite leak that has come out of the Steelers organization?
